The armed forces of a State consist of all the forces, all the armed and organized groups and units placed under a commander who is responsible for the conduct of his subordinates with regard to a belligerent. These armed forces must be subject to an internal disciplinary regime and to the law of [armed] conflict.

Chad’s Law on the Reorganization of the Armed and Security Forces (2006) states:

The Armed and Security Forces of the Republic of Chad are subject to a single operational command called the General Etat-Major of the Armed Forces … and are reorganized according to the following categories:

- A Chadian National Army;

- A National Gendarmerie;

- A National and Nomadic Guard of Chad;

- Joint services of the armed forces.

Chad, Law on the Reorganization of the Armed and Security Forces, 2006, Article 5.